Wringer



' H. L. MORIN May s, 1936.

: WRINGER' v Filed July 2e, 195s 4 shets-sheet 1 H. l.. MORIN M`ay 5,1936.

WRINGER Filed July 26, 1955 .4 Sheets-Sheet 2 NVENTOR.

v wm/. /VoH//v BY ymq im@ ATTORNEYS.

H.v L. MORIN WRINGER May 5, 1936.

v 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. u Jim/RVZ. /Vo//y l/JW *M ATTORNEYS.

Filed July 26, 1953 May 5, 1936.

H. L. MORIN WRINGER Filed July 26, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 JNVENTOR. y i?nfm//YM//v v Q 77M ATTORNEYS. I

Patented May 5, 1936y PATENT oFFlcE WRINGER v Henryv L. Morin, Holyoke,Mass.

Application July 26,

12 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in wringers for dryingwashedclothes. One object of the invention is to provide a wringerhaving improved means for securing the desired. tension between thepressure rolls. Another object is to combine a device for releasingcertain parts fora dismantling operation with the tension controllingmeans, so that a single handle only will be required. Another object isto improve the safety features of the wringer, both with regard to itssimplicity and reliability in operation and to the freedom from anypossibility of the operator receiving *an accidental electric shock.Another object is to improve the manner of feeding clothes to and fromthe pressure rolls. Another object is to improve the mechanicalconstruction of wringers of this general type in the matters ofsimplicity and economy' of manufacture. Additional objects will appearfrom the following description and claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a wringer constructed in accordance withthe invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof, with certain parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a detail section, 'on a scale larger than Figs. 1 and 2, takenon line 3-3 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is a top view, of the parts shown in Fig. 3, but with the toproll and its bearings removed;

Fig. 5 is a view, with certain parts broken-away, of the opposite sideof the device from that shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of one side of the wringer,substantially on line 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 'i is a perspective view of the main frame;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary central section through the device; l

Fig. 9 is a detail thereof with th'e parts in different positions;

Fig. 10 is an end view thereof with certain parts broken away;

Fig. 11 is a central transversemsection through the device;

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary central transverse section showing amodification;

Fig. 13 is a detail of the modification of Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a detail of a preferred form of feeding belt; a

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectionl showing a modified formof safety device; and

Fig. 16 is an end view of the mechanism of Fig. 15, showing amodification.

The wringer is carried in a main frame 20 of general U-form, preferablyof pressed metal as 1933, Serial No. 682,217

` (Cl. (iS- 32) shown in Fig. 7 This frame has channel shaped sides 2|merging into a bottoml portion 22 that is in general trough shape.'lWings 23 extend outwardly from the channel shaped sides and join thebottom 22. Adjacent the upper inner edges of the channels 2| the metalis bent inwardly as at 24 to form guide ribs the function of which willappear below. One channel 2l has xed to it adjacent its upper edge as byrivets 25 (Fig. 8) a pair of clips 26 having slots 21 exposed beyond theupper edge of thechannel. The other channel has its metal struck upinwardly to form a pair of holes 28.

The two wringer rolls and 3| are provided respectively with end shafts'32 and 33. In the form rst to be described one end of the shaft 33 isprovided with a pin 34 serving for driving engagement with any standardwringer mechanism. The two wringer rolls arecarried at each end in asub-frame 35-adapted to lie within the flanges 24 as shown in Fig. 4 andhaving struck up lips 36 passing outside these flanges so as to providea sliding contact. By this means the sub-frame can be drawn verticallyout of the channels 2| and yet when in place will be held firmly in po.sition. The sub-frames are provided with holes 3l and struck up ribs 38to engage with sliding action bearing blocks 39 and 4D which serverespectively for the upper and lower shafts 32 and 33. The upper shafthas a singlebearing block on its upper surface and the shaft 33 has asingle bearing block on its lower surface. This is inv all casessufficient as the rolls are always pressed towards each other. The lowerbearing block 40 on each side is held in place by a bulging portion 4|of the sub-frame. On one side of the wringer the two rolls are gearedtogether by spur gears 42 and 43 (Fig. 5) of the usual type, suitablysecured to the roll shafts. On the other side of the lmachine is mountedthe safety control mechanism which will be described below.

Before going into the details of the safety control mechanism thedevices for carrying the clothes through the wringer and the controlactuating devices will be considered. Each of the wing portions 23 ofthe main frame is provided with a stud 45 having an enlarged head 46. Oneach of these studs is carried a plate 4l (Fig. 11) having formed in ita keyhole shaped slot 48 having its larger end placed toward the centralportion of the wringer. If the plate is moved outwardly so as to bringthe enlarged portion of the hole 48 into registration with the stud 45,the plate can be removed easily, otherwise, it is anchored firmly inplace. The lower portion of the 55 plate has a downwardly extending lug49 adapted to rest upon the bottom 22 of the frame as shown in Fig. 1l.Plates 41 are formed with end studs, or with a central shaft 50 uponwhich is mounted rolls 5| preferably of wood. Around the two rolls 5|and around the lower wringer roll 3| is stretched a belt 52 preferablyof rubber having perforations 53 to permit drainage of water. Slippageof the belt as the clothes pass between the wringer rolls is preventedby the positive driving action .of gears 42 and 43, but it will beunderstood that any suitable means for driving the belt may be employed.The outer surface of the belt is preferably corrugated as at 54. It willbe understood that the clothes to be dried are placed upon the belt 52and are carried by it between the pressure rolls, the water squeezed outof the clothes passing freely through the holes 53 and being receivedupon the inwardly sloping bottom 22 of the main frame. At the center ofthis frame bottom is a hole 56 shown in Figs. '1 and 11. The hole isconveniently formed by striking outwardly the metal of the frame bottomso as to form lugs 51. A drain board 59 having upwardly inclined sides60 is pivotally connected to lugs 51 by bolts 58, and may be tipped ineither direction to deliver the water as may be desired. Due to thepivotal mounting of the plates 41 the wooden rollsI 5| may be raised asshown in dotted lines in Fig. l1, permitting the bottom of the wringerframe to be wiped dry. As clearly shown in Fig. 1 plates 41 are pivotedabove the center line of the rolls so that when in .normal operatingposition the plates 41 tilt downwardly and this tilted arrangementserves to lock the rolls in operative position. This tilting is alsouseful in shortening the effective length of the belt and therebyrelieves the wood rolls of tension so that the plates may be slippedclear of the studs 45. Mounted above the belt 52 and pivoted to theframe as at 65 are a pair of oppositely extending guard plates 66. Theseplates can be raised suiiiciently to permit the passage of clothesunderneath them but cannot be raised enough to allow the operators handto reach the wringer rolls without tripping the safety device which willnow be described.

At the upper portion of the guides 38 which cae-ry the upper bearingblock 39 a pair of exposed tongues 10 are struck out as shown in Figs.3, 4, and 6. These lugs form pivots for a plate 1| having portions 12turned at right angles and provided with pivot holes 13. The rightangled portions 12 are also provided with suitable portions 14 adaptedto rest against the wall of the sub-frame 35 and thereby prevent inwardmovement of the plate 1| beyond the desired point. At one side the platehas an extending portion 15 bearing a hook 16 best shown in Fig. 6. Thishook is adapted to engage a lug 11 formed upon a casing 18 pivoted tothesub-frame at 19 and adapted to contain a mercury switch of the wellknown commercial type. These switches comprise a sealed glass tubegenerally evacuated except for a small quantity of mercury. With thetube tipped into the dotted line position of Fig. 3 the mercury bridgesa pair of electrical contacts sealed into the glass tube. An electricalcurrent can be maintained in the circuit indicated by the wires 80. Ifthe plate 1| has its lower end swung outwardly so that it releases thelug 11, the weight of the casing 18 assisted if desired by a spring 8|will cause the casing to drop to a lower limit determined by its endportion striking against the wall'of the channel 2| as shown in fulllines in Fig. 3. In this position the casing is tilted downwardly in theopposite direction so that the merucury runs away from the electricalcontact and breaks the circuit. The driving motor of the wringer isincluded in this circuit so that releasing the casing 18 will causeimmediate stoppage of the motor. i

In order to release the casing 18 by swinging plate 1| outwardly whilepermitting a limited upward movement of the guards 6b, these guards havefixed to their inner ends arms which as shown in Figs. 4 and 6 arecurved in form. For a limited upward movement of the guards 66 thesearms do'not contact the plate. If, however the guards are moved upwardlya distance corresponding to that produced by the insertion 0f theoperators hand beneath them the arms contact a cam-like flange 86 formedon the adjacent edge of the plate 1| and move the latter outwardly sothat the lug 11 will be released.

In order to reset the safety device and thus restart the motor after thecause of its stopping has been corrected, a finger Vpiece 81 is fittedto slide in a slot 88 (Fig. 1) in one side of one of the channels 2|.Attached to this finger piece is a wire link 89 connected to the freeend of the casing 18. By raising the finger piece the casing 18 will beraised alsoI being held in raised position as soon as the lug 11 passesthe hook 16. 'I'he lower position of casing 18 is also determined by theengagement of piece 81 with the bottom of slot 88. It will be observedthat a guard 66 is provided on each side of the machine so that thewringer may be operated in either direction and that these guardsoperate independently of each other upon the mechanism. This doublestructure when considered in relation to the perforated belt 52 has anadditional advantage that the drying clothes will be conveyed away fromthe rolls to a place more convenient for their disposition than if thebelt terminated at the lower pressure roll on one side. A mechanism forholding the upper pressure roll 30 in contact with the lower roll 3| hasalso been provided. 'I'his mechanism, being shown best in Figs. 8, 9,and 10, is mounted within a cap having at one side struck up lugs 96adapted to fit into the holes 28 in the main frame. At the other sidethe cap is provided with a bracket 91 loosely supporting a hook 98.

Normally the lower end of this hook is forced by l a spring 99 intoengagement with the holes 21 in the members 26. The spring is mountedupon a shaft |00 pivoted in the cap at one end and at a U-shaped bridgepiece |0| suitably secured in the center of the cap. The spring may beheld compressed upon the shaft by a washer |02 and a cotter pin |03. Theshaft is provided with a handle |04, the hub portion of which extendsinside of the cap and bears a cam piece |05. When the handle is suitablyrotated as shown in Fig. 9 the cam portion will engage the hook 98 andpush it out of engagement with the holes 21 so that the cap is free tobe removed from the frame.

Bridging the upper bearings 39 is bow spring ||0 having at its centralportion a pair of clips provided with vertical slots I2 to embrace theshaft |00. On the shaft |00 in the center of the bridge piece |0| iskeyed a cam ||3 having a series of substantially flat surfaces |4 to I8inclusive adapted to bear upon the upper surface of the spring 0. Thecam and the spring are so designed that when the surface I8 is broughtover the spring the spring is completely released from compression. Inthis same position the cam |05 moves the hook 98 yout of engagement withthe hole 21 so that by a single motion of the handle the rolls can berelieved of compression and the cap freed by removal from the frame. Theother surfaces of the cam ||3 serve to give varying degrees ofcompression to the spring. The ends of the spring engage spacer members||9 resting on bearings 39. It is preferable although not necessary thatascraper or doctor be provided upon the upper roll. In the drawings arubber scraper |20 has been shown held by clips |2| to the members H9.This scraper if used will prevent the clothes passing around the upperroll, a condition which is diicult to remedy due to the throughlyenclosed condition of the pressure rolls.

This enclosed condition is of course desirable for l wringer rolls, abelt having its upper run passpurposes of safety as it is practicallyimpossible to get the hands or any large object between the rolls.

In Fig. 12 a modification has been shown in which the guard plates 66have been replaced by rolls |25, preferably knurled to assist ingripping the clothes, mounted upon plates |26 pivoting in the frame asin the case of the original guard plates. These rolls are driven uponthe upper roll 30 by a small V-belt |21 passing around the rolls andaround small guide pulleys |28. This form of the invention has theadvantage that it assists in feeding the clothes to a point between thewringer rolls'. Another modification has been shown in Figs. l and 16 inorder to illustrate the adaptability of the wringer to various controlmechanism. In this case the casing 18 and its enclosed mercury switchhas been replaced by a end |30' to the sub-frame. The driving shaft 33of the lower roll is cut so that it does not directly engage the drivingmechanism but carries one member |3| of a two part dog clutch. The othermember |32 of this clutch is secured to a driving shaft |33 andispressed against the member |3| by a spring |34 acting against a collar|35 upon a shaft |33. like portion |36 positioned to engage the outerportion of the clutch member |32. The arms 35 previously described, areadapted when swung downwardly to engage cam-like portions |31 on theplate |30 so that as the guard plates 66 are raised the plate |30 willbe swung outwardly and the' clutch |3I, |32 will be moved into inactiveposition. It will be obvious that other changes in detail structure maybe made to suit individual installations without departing from theinvention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a wringer mechanism, a frame, a pair of wringer rolls mounted insaid frame, the upper roll being removable, a cap member, means for,yreleasably locking the cap member to said frame, a spring means urgingthe upper roll toward the lower roll, a shaft, a cam on said shaft andpositioned between the cap member and spring to control the'pressureexerted on the upper roll by said spring means and a second cam on saidshaft for releasing the cap member locking means, the relative positionof said cams being such that said second cam operates when the springpressure is substantially relieved by the first cam.

2. In a wringer mechanism a frame including yside members, a pair ofwringer rolls mounted between the side members, the bearings of theupper roll being slidably mounted in the side mem- The plate |30 .isprovided with a cambers to permit removal of the upper roll from theframe and movement of said upper roll toward the lower roll, a capmember having one endpivotally engaging one side member, the other 'endbeing provided with a catch releasably engaging the opposite sidemember, a spring member bridging the upper roll with its ends actingagainst the bearings of the-f upper roll, a rock shaft mounted in saidcap member, a cam member eccentrically mounted on said shaft andengaging said spring to controlthe pressure exerted by thev spring onthe bearings of the upper roll, and a second cam on said shaftpositioned to release said catch when the first named cam is positionedto relieve the pressure of said spring on the bearings of the upperroll.

3. In a wringer mechanism including a pair of ing between said rolls, anapron positioned beneath vthe belt and projecting sidewise from thewringer rolls, a pulley roll, about which the belt passes, movablymounted on the outer end portion of the apron, to permit upward movementof the pulley and belt with respect to the apron to afford access to thelatter.

4. In a wringer mechanism including a pair of wringer rolls, a belt forfeeding clothes to and from the wringer rolls, the upper run of saidbelt passing between said rolls, an apron projecting from each side ofthe wringer rolls, pulley rolls positioned on opposite sides of saidrolls, and spaced therefrom, about which the belt passes, and meansnormally supporting said pulley rolls releasably locked in xed operativeposition with respect to the wringer mechanism during operation of thelatter, said pulley rolls being mounted for manual upward movement outof operative position to permit access to the apron.

5. In a wringer mechanism including a frame.

va pair of wringer rolls, a belt `for feeding clothes to and from thewringer rolls, the upper run of said belt passing between said rolls,pulley rolls positioned on opposite sides of said wringer rolls. andspaced therefrom, about which said belt passes, arms supporting saidpulley rolls and provided at their free ends with keyhole slots, headedstuds, secured to the frame intermediate the pulley rolls and thewringer rolls, engageable in said keyhole slots to form a releasablepivotal connection between the arms and the frame, said slots beingnormally held in locking relation with the studs by the tension of thebelt.

6. In a wringer mechanism, a frame including a bottom member and sidemembers, wringer rolls journaledin the side members, said bottom memberbeing inclined .downwardly from its front and rear edges to a pointbeneath the wringer rolls, a drainage opening formed in the bottommember beneath the wringer rolls and a trough pivotally mounted in a.fixed position relative to and beneath said bottom member to receive thedrainage from said opening and discharge it selectively .to the front orrear of the wringer mechanism.

7. In a wringer mechanism a feeding device which includes a perforatedbelt for feeding clothes to and from the bite of the wringer rolls, atleast one pulley roll positioned to one side of the wringer rolls andspaced therefrom, about which the belt passes, a generally trough-shapedmember positioned beneath the belt and adapted to receive water passingthrough the holes in the belt and conduct it to an opening formed insaid member beneath the wringer rolls, said pulley roll being pivotallymounted to permit access to said member.

8. In a. power driven wringer mechanism a feeding device which comprisesa belt for feeding clothes to and from the bite of the wringer rolls,pivotally mounted guard members respectively overlying the feed anddischarge portions of the belt, a plate pvoted to the wringer frameintermediate the inner ends of the guard members. means carried by saidplate for transmitting power to the wringer rolls when the plate is innormal position, a cam formed on the edges of said plate adjacent theguard members, and means movable with each guard member and positionedto engage the adjacent cam when its associated guard member is raised toa predetermined height, to thereby swing said plate about its pivot anddisrupt the transmission of power to the wringer rolls.

9. In a power driven wringer mechanism a feeding device which comprisesa belt for feeding clothes to and from the bite of the wringer rolls,pivotally mounted guard members respectively overlying the feed anddischarge portions of the belt, an electric circuit for supplying powerto the wringer rolls, including a mercury switch, said switch beingnormally positioned to close said circuit, and means movable with eachguard member to independently effect movement of said switch to circuitopening position when the associated guard member is raised to apredetermined height.

10. In a power driven wringer mechanism a feeding device which comprisesa beit for feeding clothes to and from the bite of the wringer rolls.pivotally mounted guard members respectively overlying the feed anddischarge portions of the belt, an electric circuit, for supplying powerto the wringer rolls, including a mercury switch pivotal- 1y mounted formovement to and from circuit closing position, a latch normally holdingsaid switch in circuit closing position, means movable with each guardmember to independently release said latch to permit movement of theswitch to circuit opening position when the associated guard member israised to a predetermined height and separate means for restoring saidswitch to latched position.

11. In a wringer mechanism including `a pair of wringer rolls, a beltfor feeding clothes to and from the wringer rolls, guard memberspositioned over the end portions of said belt and pivotally mounted forupward movement away from the belt, said guard members including knurledrolls normally engaging the clothes carried by the belt and means todrive said knurled rolls in the direction of the movement of the belt.

12. An attachment for a wringer provided with resilient rolls,comprising an apron projecting from each side of the wringer, rollers,means for hingedly and removably mounting said rollers on the ends ofthe apron and an endless belt trained over said rollers and travelingbetween said rolls.

HENRY L. MORIN.

